Express Entry: the federal skilled-worker system.

What changes on November 3, 2026

On October 16, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced changes to how the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) rewards Canadian work experience and job offers. The changes are announced and take effect on November 3, 2026. They are not in force before that date.

The Labour Market Integration (LMI) factor

The new factor gives points through one of two routes. The system calculates both and keeps whichever is higher; the two routes are never added together.

The factor is capped at 150 points without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner and 140 with one. Because the length-of-experience points already exist in today's CRS, the factor is not 150 new points on top of the current score.

"High-wage" describes the occupation, not your own salary. An occupation (a five-digit NOC) qualifies when the national median wage of everyone working in it is at least 1.3 times the average median wage of the whole workforce. IRCC's first list, based on 2023 to 2025 data, has 186 occupations. If the list changes after you are invited, the level in effect on your invitation date applies.

Search the 186 high-wage occupations by NOC code · Full calculation rules and examples

Job offers and LMIAs

• From November 3, 2026, a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) is no longer needed for a job offer to count, either for CRS points or for program eligibility. Holding an LMIA will no longer add points or give priority.
• For the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Federal Skilled Trades Program, a temporary public policy exempts candidates invited on or after November 3, 2026 from the LMIA and LMIA-exemption requirements for a job offer used for eligibility, if they meet the policy's conditions.
• For FSWP and FSTP eligibility, the offer can still be in any TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job that meets the program rules. Program eligibility and CRS job-offer points are assessed separately.
• An officer must be satisfied that the offer is genuine: for example, that the employer is actively operating, has a reasonable need for the position, can meet the terms, and complies with employment and recruitment laws, and that the candidate can do the job. A revoked offer no longer qualifies.

What to do now

• If you have a valid job offer without an LMIA, IRCC asks you to add it to your profile before November 3, 2026. The online profile has not yet been updated, so IRCC's changes page gives temporary placeholder entries to use. Follow that page exactly.
• Every profile will be recalculated automatically after November 3. You do not need to resubmit.
• Skill-transferability points are unchanged and still use the length of Canadian work experience only.

What Express Entry is

Express Entry is IRCC's online application-management system for three federal economic permanent-residence programs: the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). It is not a separate immigration program, and it is not first come, first served. Provinces and territories also use the pool for "enhanced" provincial nominations, but a nominee must still meet one of the three federal programs.

A candidate who meets the minimum rules of at least one program can create a profile and enter the pool. Each profile receives a CRS score. IRCC then holds invitation rounds and invites the highest-ranked candidates who meet that round's conditions. Entering the pool does not guarantee an invitation.

Everything in the profile must later be proved with documents. A material difference between the profile and the permanent-residence application can reduce the score, lead to refusal, or raise a misrepresentation concern. IRCC warns that false or incomplete information can lead to refusal, a finding of inadmissibility and a five-year bar from applying to come to Canada.

Key points for 2026

• Ten categories. IRCC's category list for 2026 has ten categories: French-language proficiency; five occupation groups (healthcare and social services, STEM, trades, education, transport); three categories that require Canadian work experience (physicians, senior managers, researchers); and skilled military recruits. The work-experience minimum for occupation categories is now 12 months.
• Job-offer points. CRS points for job offers were removed on March 25, 2025. They return on November 3, 2026, only for offers in high-wage occupations.
• Fees. For applications received on or after April 30, 2026, the principal applicant pays $1,590 ($990 processing fee plus the $600 right of permanent residence fee).
• Admissions target. The 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan sets a 2026 target of 109,000 admissions in the Federal High Skilled class (the Express Entry programs), within a range of 85,000 to 120,000. The 2027–2029 plan had not been tabled as of October 18, 2026.
• Consultations are not rules. In spring 2026, IRCC consulted on broader reforms, such as merging the three programs or changing spousal and sibling points. These are proposals only; nothing has been decided.

How Express Entry works

There are two separate tests. First, do you qualify for at least one of the three programs? Second, is your CRS score high enough for the rounds IRCC actually holds?

1. Identify the correct NOCMatch your actual duties to the lead statement and most of the main duties of a National Occupational Classification (NOC) code, not only the job title. Confirm the TEER category and the time-period rule of the program. Use the NOC finder.
2. Take an approved language test and get an ECATake an IRCC-approved test. For education completed outside Canada, get an educational credential assessment (ECA) for immigration purposes when you need it for eligibility or for points.
3. Confirm program eligibilityCompare your work, language, education, funds and settlement plans with the CEC, FSWP and FSTP rules. For FSWP, check the 67-point grid.
4. Create and submit the profileEnter complete and accurate information. The system shows which program or programs your profile appears to meet. Once you start, you have 60 days to complete and submit the profile, or you must begin again. A profile stays in the pool for up to 12 months.
5. Keep the profile currentUpdate material changes: a new test result, marriage, a child, a new job, an expired passport, a change in funds, or a provincial nomination. Updating a profile does not change its original submission date and time, which IRCC uses to break ties.
6. Receive an invitation to apply (ITA)IRCC invites the highest-ranked candidates who meet each round's conditions. Track recent rounds on our draws page.
7. Submit the complete application within 60 daysUpload the documents in your personalized checklist, pay the fees and submit before the invitation expires.
8. Complete the post-submission stepsGive biometrics when asked, watch your online account, answer document requests and report material changes.

Compare the three programs

These are minimum eligibility rules. Meeting them puts you in the pool; it does not decide the CRS score you need for an invitation.

Program requirements in brief

Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

For skilled workers with recent Canadian work experience.

• At least 1,560 hours of paid skilled work in Canada in the 3 years before applying, in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3. The hours may come from more than one job or NOC.
• The work must have been done in Canada while authorized to work under temporary resident status. Remote work counts only if you were physically in Canada working for a Canadian employer.
• Work while a full-time student (including co-op terms), self-employment (except for some physicians under a temporary public policy), volunteer work, unpaid internships and unauthorized work do not count.
• CLB/NCLC 7 for TEER 0 or 1 work; CLB/NCLC 5 for TEER 2 or 3 work.
• No education minimum and no proof of funds. Education still adds CRS points.

Full CEC guide

Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)

For skilled workers with experience in Canada or abroad.

• At least 1 year of continuous paid work (or 1,560 hours) in the same primary occupation, in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, within the last 10 years.
• CLB/NCLC 7 in reading, writing, listening and speaking.
• A Canadian secondary or post-secondary credential, or a completed foreign credential with an ECA.
• At least 67 of 100 points on the FSWP selection grid. This grid is separate from the CRS.
• Proof of funds, unless you are authorized to work in Canada and have a valid job offer.

Full FSWP guide

Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)

For qualified workers in listed skilled trades.

• At least 2 years (3,120 hours) of paid work in one eligible trade NOC within the last 5 years, gained where you were qualified to practise the trade. Work while studying does not count.
• CLB/NCLC 5 in speaking and listening, and 4 in reading and writing.
• A valid full-time job offer for at least 1 year, or a certificate of qualification in the trade from a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal authority.
• No education minimum. Proof of funds unless the work-authorization and job-offer exemption applies.

A foreign trade licence is not a Canadian certificate of qualification. Full FSTP guide

CRS score and ranking

The Comprehensive Ranking System ranks eligible profiles. Under the rules in force until November 2, 2026, the maximum is 1,200 points: up to 600 for core factors (human capital, spouse factors and skill transferability) and up to 600 additional points. IRCC has not yet published a revised overall maximum for the rules that take effect on November 3, 2026.

There is no fixed "passing" score. Each round has its own cut-off, which depends on the round type, the number of invitations and who is in the pool. In a category round, eligible candidates are still ranked against each other by CRS. If candidates tie at the cut-off, the earlier profile submission date and time wins.

Job offers currently earn no CRS points (removed March 25, 2025). From November 3, 2026, a qualifying offer in a high-wage occupation can earn points under the Labour Market Integration factor.

Estimate your CRS score · See every CRS table

Category-based selection in 2026

Category rounds invite the highest-ranked candidates who meet a specific condition, such as French ability or recent work in a listed occupation. A category is not a fourth program, and it adds no CRS points.

• You must first be eligible for CEC, FSWP or FSTP and have a valid profile when the round is held.
• For the occupation categories, you need at least 12 months of full-time work (or the same amount part-time) in one listed occupation within the last 3 years. The months do not have to be continuous. Before 2026 the minimum was 6 continuous months.
• For physicians, senior managers and researchers, those 12 months must have been worked in Canada.
• Agriculture and agri-food is not on the current list.
• Meeting a category does not guarantee that a round will be held or that you will be invited.

Full guide to category-based selection

Invitation rounds in 2026

From February 20 to October 16, 2026 (rounds #398 to #450), IRCC ran rounds in a roughly two-week cycle: a Provincial Nominee Program round, a Canadian Experience Class round and one or more category rounds. No general (all-program) round and no FSWP-only round appears in that period. The figures below come from IRCC's published round data for those rounds.

Past cut-offs do not predict future ones, and IRCC expects to pause rounds while profiles are recalculated after November 3, 2026. See the latest rounds on our draws page.

Language tests and education

Everyone who claims language ability in Express Entry must take an approved test, even if English or French is their first language.

• Results must be less than 2 years old both when you create the profile and when you submit the permanent-residence application. An application with expired results is refused.
• IRCC converts each ability to a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) for English or a Niveau de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC) for French. Minimums apply to each ability separately. Use our language score converter.
• A second official language adds CRS points, and strong French can make you eligible for French-language category rounds.

Educational credential assessment (ECA)

You need an ECA for education completed outside Canada if you are applying under FSWP or want CRS points for that education (yours or an accompanying spouse's). Canadian credentials do not need one.

• The ECA must come from an IRCC-designated organization: Comparative Education Service (University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies), International Credential Assessment Service of Canada, World Education Services, International Qualifications Assessment Service, or the International Credential Evaluation Service (BCIT). Physicians, pharmacists and architects may need a designated professional body instead.
• It must be less than 5 years old when you complete the profile and when you submit the application. An application with an expired ECA is refused.
• An ECA is not a professional licence and does not guarantee employment in a regulated occupation.

Work experience, NOC and reference letters

• Choose the NOC by comparing your actual duties with the lead statement and main duties. A similar job title is not enough.
• A strong reference letter is on the employer's letterhead and confirms your position, dates, weekly hours, pay and detailed duties. Pay records, tax documents or contracts may also be needed.
• Only paid work counts (wages or commission). Volunteer work and unpaid internships do not count. Hours above 30 per week are not counted, so overtime cannot shorten the minimum period.
• FSWP needs one continuous year in the primary occupation. CEC experience can be spread over more than one eligible NOC. FSTP experience must all be in the same trade NOC.
• Student work is treated differently in each program: it does not count for CEC (while studying full-time) or FSTP, and it can count for FSWP if it was paid, continuous and met all other rules.
• Explain overlapping jobs, promotions, remote work, leaves and periods of study accurately.

Proof of settlement funds

FSWP and FSTP candidates must show they have enough money to settle in Canada. CEC candidates do not. An FSWP or FSTP candidate is also exempt if they are authorized to work in Canada and have a valid job offer. Exempt candidates still upload a letter explaining the exemption.

IRCC's table is marked "Updated July 7, 2025" and was still the published table on October 18, 2026. IRCC usually updates these amounts once a year, so check the official page again before you create or update a profile and before you apply.

• Count yourself, your spouse or common-law partner, your dependent children and your spouse's dependent children, even if they are not coming with you or are already Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
• You cannot borrow the money, and equity in property does not count. The funds must be available both when you apply and when the permanent resident visa is issued.
• The bank letter must be on the institution's letterhead, with its contact details, your name, each account's number, opening date, current balance and 6-month average balance, and your outstanding debts.
• Document the source of any large recent deposit.

Documents and family members

Spouse, partner and dependent children

• Declare every family member truthfully, whether or not they are coming with you. Family composition affects CRS points, fees, medical exams and proof of funds.
• An accompanying spouse's language, education and Canadian work can add points. Couples should compare which person scores higher as the principal applicant.
• Family members who are not coming must usually still be declared and have a medical exam. Not declaring a family member can make them unsponsorable later.
• Report marriage, separation, divorce, a birth, a death or a change in who is accompanying you, and follow IRCC's instructions.

After an invitation: steps and deadlines

1. Review the invitationConfirm the program and your score as of the invitation date. If anything has changed (a lost job offer or nomination, an expired or lower test result, an expired work permit), recalculate. If your score falls below the round's cut-off, decline rather than apply.
2. Prepare the personalized checklistGather every document requested in your account. Where an item is unavailable, explain why and show the steps you took.
3. Medical exam and police certificatesGet the medical exam after the invitation, from an IRCC panel physician, and upload the information printout or the IMM 1017B Upfront Medical Report. Police certificates are needed for each country where you (and each family member aged 18 or older) lived 6 months or more in a row in the last 10 years, not counting time before age 18 or in Canada. Upload colour scans of the originals.
4. Check forms and evidence for consistencyNames, dates, addresses, travel, education, work and family information must match across the whole application. Documents in another language need a certified translation and a scan of the original.
5. Pay and submitYou must pay at least the processing fees when you submit. The system will not submit without all required documents. Keep the confirmation and a full copy of the application.
6. Monitor and updateWatch your account, give biometrics, answer requests by their deadlines and report any material change while the application is in process.

Government fees and other costs

These IRCC fees apply to applications received on or after April 30, 2026. Check IRCC's fee list before paying.

The right of permanent residence fee can be paid later, before permanent residence is finalized. IRCC recommends paying it up front to avoid delay.

Other costs to budget for

• Language tests and educational credential assessments
• Immigration medical exams
• Police certificates and fingerprints
• Certified translations and document retrieval
• Provincial nomination fees, if you use a provincial stream
• Professional fees, only if you hire a representative

Common problems that damage an application

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• IRCC: Express Entry
• IRCC: Changes to Express Entry (November 3, 2026)
• IRCC backgrounder: Changes to Express Entry for high-wage occupations (October 16, 2026)
• IRCC: High-wage occupations
• IRCC: Canadian Experience Class
• IRCC: Federal Skilled Worker Program
• IRCC: Federal Skilled Trades Program
• IRCC: CRS criteria
• IRCC: Category-based selection
• IRCC: Rounds of invitations
• IRCC: Language test results
• IRCC: Educational credential assessment
• IRCC: Proof of funds
• IRCC: Apply for permanent residence after an invitation
• IRCC: Medical exams
• IRCC: Police certificates
• IRCC: Biometrics
• IRCC: Fee list
• IRCC notice: Permanent residence fees increasing (April 30, 2026)
• IRCC: 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan
• IRCC: 2026 consultations on Express Entry reforms (report)
• IRCC: Processing times

This page is general information about Canadian immigration law and policy as of the date above. It is not legal advice for your situation. Programs, forms and fees change often; check the official sources before you apply.